Achan's sin

Joshua 7:1-26

Key Verse 7:12

That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

This passage teaches us how we can win the ultimate victory over our ultimate enemy sin. 

1) Sin is our real enemy, which breaks our relationship with the Lord. The Lord is the source of our life. So being cut off from the Lord means the loss of every element of life. 

2) The way to win the victory over this ultimate enemy is to live by faith in the Lord, believing that every good and perfect gift is from the Lord. James 1:17. 

1. Read v. 1 and compare it with Joshua 6:16-19. Why is it that the Lord God "spared" only Rahab and all who were with her in her house but commanded Joshua to "destroy" all the rest found in Jericho (Romans 1:16,17; 14:23; Gal 3:22)? 

** Rahab believed in the Lord. This faith helped her overcome the power of sin and death.

By the same token the rest of people and everything they owned were destroyed because they did not put trust in the Lord. Categorically all (men and material things) but the Lord are limited, because in the first place they were "created" entities. So without being connected to the Lord the Creator they are bound to go dead. 

2. Read v. 1 again. This passage points out that Achan belongs to the tribe of "Judah". What does the Bible say about the significance of Judah (Genesis 49:10; 2Ch 20:20; Hebrews 12:2)? Yet it was Achan, belonging the tribe of Judah who acted "unfaithfully" in regard to the devoted things. What warning is there for us to heed (1Pe 5:8-9)?

** Judah is the headstream of the promise of the Savior, for the Lord God promised to send the Savior of the world from the line if Judah. Indeed Jesus came from the line of Judah. And Jesus taught us what it is to live by faith in the Lord God. So Jesus is called the perfecter and author of faith. 

** This indicates that Achan is of noble family origin, showing us that the devil tries to shoot down the finest of all who are fine. 

Do you think you are fruitful? Are you ahead of anyone in whatever terms? Be careful, for you are being targeted. 

Read Ephesians 4:2a, "Be completely humble..." 

Read also 1 Peter 5:6, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."

3. Read vs. 2-5 and compare it with v. 1. This comparison indicates that Joshua acted on his own initiative. What lesson is there for us to learn in waging the Lord's battle? 

 

** Always clear yourself with the Lord and then act. Do not rely on your own understanding. 

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

4. Read vs. 6-15. What do the following statements teach us about the wisdom to wage the Lord's battle and win all the time: 1) "I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction"; 2) "He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him"; and 3) "He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!"? 

** The Lord is holy and he abhors sin. So we must repent of every hint of sin remaining inside of us. Then the Lord can be with us.

** This teaches us that idol worship leads man to destruction, but worship of the Lord leads man to eternal life.

** Breaking faith with the Lord brings disgrace on himself and others. By the same token keeping faith with the Lord brings God's grace to many. 

5. Read vs. 16-21. What do the following confessions of Achan tell us about the way sin is committed: 1) "When I saw..."; 2) "I coveted..."; 3) "[I] took them"; and 4) "They are 'hidden' in the ground 'inside' my tent, with the silver 'underneath'"? What warning is there for us to heed (Gen 3:6; 1Jo 2:15-16; James 1:13-18)? 

** This passage reminds us of the importance of fixing our thoughts and eyes on Jesus (Heb 3:1; 12:1-2).

6. Read vs. 22-26. What does this passage tell us about the effect of sin (Romans 3:23; 6:23a; Hebrew 9:27; Rev 20:11-15; 21:8)? What does the Bible tell us about the way to escape from the ill effects of sin (Mark 1:15; 1Co 15:3; Jn 1:29)?

** Sin plunges men into the sea of eternal condemnation.

** We need to repent of our sins and keep living by faith in the Lord.

7. Read v. 26 again. What does this passage tell us about the Lord's attitude toward sin? What lesson is there for us to learn about sin (Heb 12:4)?

** We should not take a relative attitude toward sin. We must take an absolute attitude against sin, for it breaks our relationship with the Lord who is angry about every hint of sin.

The end.